The Nine Tailed Copy Cat
by BloodhawK1080
Summary: I made some revisions to the timeline and plot of Naruto. Takes place a little earlier than the show, with Sasuke as the one who got stuck with the Kyubi. Sorta A/U SasuXHina and i'm not sure about the others yet REVIEW PLZ!
1. Prologue

**The Nine-Tailed Copy Cat**

**Prologue**

It was the second generation of Konoha. The Second Hokage, picking up where his brother left off, brought economic and military power to the growing village that was up until now only dreamed of. But, as any philosopher will tell you, it is at times of peace that you should prepare for war. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the Second did not heed this warning. And so, it was on the evening of the birth of the heir to the Uchiha throne, whose father was a very close friend of the second's, that fate decided to rear it's ugly head...

As the Second Hokage watched in horror the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox destroy Konoha, his good friend, Fugaku Uchiha, leader of the powerful Uchiha clan, and his prized pupil, Sarutobi, approached him quickly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?", asked the Second Hokage. Fugaku replied, "The sealing method you invented is ingenious. That seal, in combination with his bloodline, will turn him into the ultimate ninja. And I will always be there to stave off any prejudice." The second nodded, and turned to his former student.

"When all this is over, I formally hand down my responsibilities as Hokage to you. You've earned it, Sarutobi-san." With that said, the Second Hokage took his leave, performing the new sealing jutsu he created with his brother for the first, and last time. As the greatest chakra the world had ever known was sealed into baby Sasuke, the boy could be heard crying from one corner of Konoha, to the next...

Eight years later, the village has slowly regrown to its once great state, under the leadership of the wise Third Hokage. Back at the Uchiha Estate, Sasuke Uchiha was rushing home to show his father his newest scores, straight A's, as always. It wasn't just the grades, Sasuke had been excited ever since he mastered the Great Fireball Technique the week prior and was accepted into the clan as a true Uchiha. He just felt bad that he couldn't help his younger brother, Itachi. Father never looked at him the same way as he looked at Sasuke. Arriving at the estate, Sasuke found the walls coated with blood, corpses hung about like towels put to dry. He rushed to his parents' room. Inside, he found Itachi, huddled over his parents' dead bodies. Itachi looked up, and his eyes were completely changed.

"Like my new eyes, brother? I finally have something that you don't. I have to say, these things are amazing. I didn't even have have to do anything. Just looking at people would be enuf to drive them mad. Made them want to...kill somebody." Itachi hissed, smirking at the last part. Before Sasuke could respond, Itachi locked him in his new genjutsu, forcing him to watch the massacre that Itachi had commited. After Sasuke began to faint, Itachi decided to leave. His last words would fuel Sasuke for years to come.

"I'll let you live, foolish brother. My job is done, and I'm interested in seeing if you'll avenge these peons that pampered you from the moment you were born..."

Sasuke awoke wet, naked, and hungry. Then things got worse. From then on, the villagers only seemed to neglect and ridicule him. The only time they payed attention to him was when they would take turns destroying him mentally, then physically. Soon, he devised a set of goals that would fuel his ambitions for the rest of his life.

"The Uchiha were the strongest clan of ninja in the known world. I won't let them be erased from history like this. I will rebuild my clan, maybe even make it better, stronger. But, to do that, I have to kill the person who did this to me, who did this to my family. Itachi Uchiha, I swear, you will die by my hands! And then I will force all these decieving bastards into acknowledging me for the great ninja I am, and there's only one way to do that. I swea, someday, somehow, I will become Hokage!"

**END**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"All right, settle down class. Since all of you have graduated from the Ninja Academy, it is time to put you into your three-man groups. Once your team is announced, you may leave to the designated waiting area. The first team to be announced, Team 7, will consist of Sasuke Uchiha...", all the girls held their breath when Iruka-sensei called Sasuke's name. While the villagers despised him, all their daughters were infatuated with him. Too bad none of them were his type. Stupid, shallow, snobby, and borderline anorexic. Not exactly how he envisioned his future wife. All except one, though. The only girl that didn't seem infatuated with him. The only one he had payed any attention to over the years. Barely, but he did. The way she was so invisible made her perfectly clear in his eyes, though he never really thought about her, he was just curious. Hinata...

"...Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki." All the girls simultaneously sent death glares towards Hinata, who seemed like she was trying to disappear into her thick eskimo coat. She always was a shy one, another thing that caught his attention.

'_Hmm,_' he thought, '_stuck on a team with the strangest girl in Konoha and the loudest idiot in the world. I can't decide if this is going to be interesting or troublesome..._'

Suddenly Naruto shot up onto his desk and shouted, "What!? Sensei, why do I have to be on the same team as that pretty boy loser!? Why can't I be on Sakura's team?" Sasuke's veins began to bulge, and he jumped rigght up to Naruto.

"Who are you calling a loser!? I actually finiahed my classes!" Sasuke threw back.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"Boys, settle down! Naruto, the teams are set up so that they balance out. Sasuke, the #1 Rookie, with the highest scores, had to be put with the ninja who failed all his classes and graduated by pure luck, ergo, you!" All the kids laughed as Naruto became frustrated over this little news, and their laughter could be heard down the hall as the three new teammates left for their designated waiting area, which was the Hero's Memorial Stone, near the training field.

'_Yep, definitely troublesome..._' Sasuke thought. They arrived early, and so they each went off to do whatever it is they each do. Naruto decided to use the local wild life as target practice, while Hinata shyly picked some herbs and mushrooms, and stored them in an intricate little purple bag. Sasuke pulled out one of his training scrolls, but found it difficult to concentrate. Every few words he read, he felt compelled to look up at Hinata, and everytime, by some cosmic coincedence (or an author with an overactive imagination), he would catch a glimpse of her backside as she reached down to pick some herbs. This sight would not only cause Sasuke to lose his place, but would elicit a very powerful, primal reaction in his body that he didn't understand, and if he didn't (or did) know any better, he'd swear he heard a slight growl in his stomach.

'_What is it about this girl that drives me mad? This is quite an exhilerating feeling, I wish I could understand it better._', Sasuke thought. Just then a little red toad hopped out of the water and began nudging Hinata's leg. Picking it up, she timidly exclaimed, "Aww, h-how cute!" The toad then proceeded to hop out of her hands, onto the memorial stone, and expand to about the size of two humans. As they looked out in awe, out of its mouth jumped a tall, spikey blonde haired ninja with a white, decorated cape.

"Good morning, my new disciples! My name is Minato Namikaze, and I'm one of the best Jonin around, so feel honored! How are all of you on this fine day?" The eccentric ninja exclaimed, giving a thumbs up sign. When none of them answered, he continued, "Hmm, ok. I was hoping to apeal to you younger kids with my performance, but I see that may have backfired. Allright, how about we each take turns telling a little about ourselves. I'll go first. As you already know, my name is Minato Namikaze. I have developed several powerful jutsu that have earned me the nickname 'The Yellow Flash of Konoha' and while I don't personally read the books, I know the author of the 'Make-Out' series. Ok, you, with the black hair and the blue shirt, you're next." Minato said, pointing to Sasuke.

"Umm, well my name is Sasuke Uchiha. My ambitions include rebuilding my extinct clan, and becoming the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen. My hobbies include reading, fishing, and chemistry. Also, I love ramen."

"Very good. Next is...you, the bluenette with the big coat."

"M-My name is H-Hinata Hyuga. I-I am h-heir to t-the Hyuga b-bl-bloodline. I enjoy coo-cooking, m-making medicine, and some other things. I-I'm r-really not that interesting..." Hinata stuttered out. The way she bit her lip when she hesitated was quickly picked up on by Sasuke, who found it very cute. Again, he heard that strange growling.

"Ok, good. And finally, you, with the spiked blonde hair."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm very outspoken, but can be quite cunning when I need to be. I like weapons, and things that go boom! Also, I might be an orphan, but don't expect me to be begging for any help. And I'm pretty good with a lockpick."

'Soo,' Minato thought, 'I've got a Tailed Beast Host, a self-esteem deficient mess, and a traumatized orphan. Why do I always get stuck with the emotional baggage group?'

"Allright, this has been an enlightening game. I expect all three of you to be here tomorrow morning at 9:00 sharp. I won't accept anybody being late, and make sure you don't have any breakfast." With that said, and a smile, the new sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke. As soon as he was gone, Naruto ran off to wherever it is he goes. Sasuke ran up to Hinata as she was leaving.

"Hey, Hinata! I was wondering if, you know, since we're teammates and all, if you wouldn't mind me walking you home?" Sasuke asked nervously, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Umm, s-sure...if i-it's n-no trouble..." she replied, turning red and pushing her index fingers together.

"Oh, no trouble at all! I live nearby you, actually. Come on, let's go!" And so they went on their way to the Hyuga mansion. They talked and laughed together, till by the end of the journey, Hinata's stuttering lessened, just a tad bit.

"Well, here we are. Good night, Hinata-chan. And just a word of advice, eat breakfast tomorrow, trust me." And with a puff of smoke, Sasuke was gone to his own mansion, leaving a perplexed Hinata behind.

'_D-Did he...j-just call m-me...Hinata-CHAN!?_'

Sasuke gathered up all his ninja equipment, and realized something.

'_I need to go buy some better stuff! Maybe I'll ask Hinata to go with me tomorrow._' With that happy thought, Sasuke descended into his unconcous mind, where he was met with the same dream he had been having for almost 4 years now. A maze of sewers, with an ominous growl echoing throughout...


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sasuke awoke early to make an extra breakfast. He knew Hinata would not listen to him over the teacher, and he knew the teacher was trying to trick them as part of the Genin test. What he didn't know was why he had become so interested in this girl. It was like some kind of age-old instinct was telling him to pay attention to her. But it wasn't just her, it had been happening towards several girls lately. No, it wasn't puberty, my dear readers. Sasuke had already considered that. It was...different than puberty. Stronger, more feral. But he decided to stop thinking about it, lest he be late. To his surprise, he arrived first, so he started doing some warm-up exercises. After finishing the exercises, Sasuke felt a strange prescence, like someone was watching him. Using his ninja training, Sasuke pinpointed it to a nearby tree. He threw a shuriken at it, and out fell his thick-headed teammate, Naruto.

"Don't you have anything better to do than spy on me?" asked Sasuke.

"I-I-I was NOT spying! I-I had my own business to take care of!"

"In a tree? What, does a squirrel owe you money?" mocked Sasuke. His ninja senses heard other footsteps, so he prepared himself for attack, but relaxed when he saw it was only Hinata. Seeing that Naruto was about to burst, Sasuke side-stepped that particular annoyance and went to check on Hinata.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan. Did you eat breakfast like I advised?" He noticed she blushed a deeper red when he added the '-chan' suffix.

'_This girl really is incredibly shy,_' he thought, '_I hope that works out in my favor...wait, what did I just say!_'

"G-Good morning, S-Sasuke-k-kun. I was going to, b-but I-I couldn't disre-regard a direct order..." she replied. Sasuke smirked knowingly.

"I figured you wouldn't, so when you change your mind, I've got an extra breakfast with your name on it." he said. Sasuke walked back to where he was before and sat on the training post put there, still contemplating why he was being so nice to her. It was like every time he saw her, a red haze filled his mind, forcing him to be nice to her. He got tired of trying to figure it out, and luckily for him, his sensei finally showed up.

"Sorry I'm late, gang. I got held up on the way here. So, is everyone ready for my test?" Naruto looked confused at that statement, and slightly scared.

"Test!? Another test!? We just graduated, why do we have to take another test!? And I'm too hungry to take a test!" Naruto burst out. Sasuke smirked at the last part, and, still smirking, quirked an eyebrow when Hinata looked at him in surprise, as if asking, '_How did you know it was a test?_'. He wasn't the #1 Rookie for no reason. Through all this, Minato-sensei smiled.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected you two to eat, but Sasuke, who would've guessed you'd see through my test? I commend you for showing exceptional skill, and you two for demonstrating loyalty and following a direct order. But, as we are about to take a test, you will only be allowed to eat at noon. As for the test, think of it as a second graduation exam. Although you graduated from the Ninja Academy, we Jonin have the final say on whether or not you'll become ninja. Of the 27 graduates, we will only accept 9. That means you have approximately a 66.6 chance of failure. When I say start, you three will run away and find a way to steal one of my two bells. Only those who have a bell by the end of the day will pass. Now, START!" All three of them darted off in different directions. Sasuke hid among the tops of the trees, realizing the futility of the assignment.

'_There's no way he expects us to get those bells off him. He's a Jonin, and we're not even Genin yet! And besides, he only has two bells. No matter what, one of us is going to fail. There must be an ulterior objective...but what?_' Sasuke pondered. The word 'teamwork' floated into his mind, and he realized what he had to do. Leaves rustling and footsteps broke him out of his meditation, but his ever-present ninja instincts made him throw a few shuriken at the intrusion. He missed them all. That rarely happens, but thank God it did this time. A timid yelp alerted Sasuke to the identity of the perpetrator.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry! Those annoying ninja instincts kicked in. Are you hurt?" She shook her head 'no', picked up the shuriken and handed them back. Bowing, she said, "I-I'm v-very sorry for b-bothering you, b-but I was wondering if I-I could have that extra breakf-fast you mentioned, if you're n-not aleady eating it, o-of course..."

"You didn't bother me, I was just lost in thought. Of course you can have it. I made it for you, remember?" he replied, handing her the food. She sat next to him and, after thanking him for the food and eating, decided to ask him something that was on her mind.

"Umm, S-Sasuke-kun, m-may I ask you s-something?"

"You kind of just did, but go ahead."

"W-Why are y-you being s-so nice to me? N-Noone is ever t-this nice to me..."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know why myself. But we're teammates now, so we might as well get along. Plus, I find your stuttering adorable." he replied, smiling. She blushed deeply and looked away. When he saw her reaction, he realized what he had just said and became ghostly pale.

'_Adorable? He finds me...adorable? What does this mean? Does he like me? No, he couldn't like me. He's the prince of the Uchiha, and I'm no princess..._' Hinata thought. Sasuke stood up, followed by Hinata.

"Come on, we have to move, or we'll never pass this test." stated Sasuke. They jumped through the trees, not speaking, until soon they found Minato-sensei...with Naruto hanging upside down by a rope. They stopped before Minato-sensei could notice them. Or so they thought.

"All right Hinata, I've got an idea," whispered Sasuke, "I'll distract our sensei, while you free Naruto. Tell him to somehow trap Minato-sensei, and I'll attack. He'll use substitution jutsu, so you wait by the nearest log, and as soon as he materializes, use your Hyuga-style taijutsu to paralyze him and take his bells. Understood?" Hinata nodded, and Sasuke jumped down to his sensei.

"Hey! Sensei! I've come for those bells, and I'm not leaving without them!" yelled Sasuke. Once Minato-sensei turned around, he flung a few kunai at him and ran in for a kick. As espected, the Jonin easily countered. With his foot caught, he went threw a punch, and then another. Now completely caught up, Sasuke was easily thrown into a nearby tree, but his job was already done. Naruto was freed, and Hinata was nowhere to be found. Naruto jumped down from the trees, shouting, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly 6 Narutos materialized, piling on top of Minato-sensei. Taking his opportunity, Sasuke thrust himself into the air and sent one of his Great Fireballs hurtling towards the pile of Narutos and Minato-sensei. Again as expected, the only thing left afterwards was a small pile of ash. He turned and saw Hinata holding the two bells. As Sasuke began to smile, Minato-sensei poofed out of existance, as well as his two bells. 3 Minatos suddenly jumped out of the trees and trapped the 3 rookies.

"Very good. Much better than I expected, but you three still aren't working together." proclaimed the real Minato-sensei, appearing out of the forest and releasing his Shadow Clones.

"You three did great, but Naruto tried to steal the lunches I prepared. As punishment, we are going to have a lunch break, but only Sasuke and Hinata may eat. Naruto will be tied up, and you must not give him any food."

"WHAT!?" shouted Naruto. Before he could say more, Natuto was tied to a log, and Minato-sensei was gone, leaving luches for Sasuke and Hinata. Naruto kept whining and squirming. Soon, Sasuke handed Naruto some of his lunch, earning surprised looks from Naruto and Hinata. Sasuke calmly explained, "If he doesn't eat anything, he won't have any energy left when we need him. Give him some too, Hinata. We're a team now." After Hinata handed him some of her lunch, a fireless explosion filled the area with smoke. Out of the smoke came one pissed off Jonin.

"What did I JUST say!? I told you NOT to give him food, yet you disobeyed a direct order!" Just as fast as he became angry, he became serene again.

"But, in doing so, you demonstrated remarkable teamwork and discovered the truw purpose of this test. In the ninja world, those who disobey orders are trash, but those who don't help their friends are worse than trash. Congratulations, you 3 are the first group of graduates who have ever passed my test! You are all genin now!" explained Minato-sensei. After getting over their teacher's bi-polar attack, the 3 Genin (or more accurately, Sasuke and Naruto, and Hinata didn't say anything) decided to go into town to celebrate. It was an opportunity to get to know each other over a bowl of ramen (as if there's anything else to eat in the Naruto Universe) and then afterwards, they could go shopping for new equipment together. It was going to be an exciting night. The only chance at a worry-free night that either of them would get in a long time...


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The ramen at Ichiraku was amazing, the 3 unanimously thought. They had each eaten more than usual (which is a real stretch for both Sasuke and Naruto) and had gotten to learn a bit about each other. Sasuke and Naruto learned that Hinata didn't like to talk about herself (or talk, for that matter). Hinata learned that Sasuke and Naruto were almost complete opposites, or if you look at it from a different angle, they were too alike. Sasuke learned that the boys his age resented him for his looks and his money, two things he would give away without hesitation for just one thing...And Naruto learned that Sasuke wasn't what everyone said he was, and underneath it all, he was hurting, for some reason. They left knowing a little bit more about each other, but definitely not much. They then agreed to go downtown together to buy new gear. They found a nice little store with a fully-equipped (with weapons, not what you might be thinking!) panda as the mascot, which Hinata seemed to like.

"Welcome to the Three-Pronged Kunai! My name is Ten-Ten, how may I- hey, I know you guys! Yeah, you're rookies, right? I remember hearing about you last year. How are you guys!?" inquired Ten-Ten.

"We just became Genin, so we were hoping to buy some new weapons and gear." explained Sasuke.

"That's great, and you picked the perfect store! We have the sharpest weapons and the best equipment that every shinobi needs. I'll gladly help with anything, just give me a call. Hinata, can you come over here to help me with something?"

"S-Sure." said Hinata. The two of them disappeared behind the counter, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone, in a room filled with deadly weapons...

Naruto went straight for the swords, and Sasuke went for the ninja equipment. He found an aisle of skin-tight, light-weight, and surprisingly durable jumpsuits. There were a few color choices; black, a dark reddish-orange, and a very bland green. While the other colors were abundant, there was only one green left.

"These green jumpsuits must be really popular with someone, they're almost sold out." commented Sasuke. He decided to buy a black one. It should help with training, he thought.

'_You know, I really got to work on my taijutsu. I have to get my speed and strength up phenomenally if I'm going to be any kind of competition for the others. I wonder...yes, they do! They have leg weights. Let's get the heaviest pair they got, shall we?_' Sasuke decided. They had a pair so heavy Sasuke had to pump chakra through his arms to carry it. The kanji for determination was inscribed on the weights. Along with those, Sasuke picked up a pair of wrist bands that were pretty heavy weights, though not as heavy as the leg weights. He put his purchases on the counter, at the same time that Naruto decided to. Naruto picked up a few katanas, a crossbow and quiver, and nunchucks.

"Well, there goes all my money that I've been saving. Aw, man." whispered Naruto. Sasuke thought for a moment, then decided to make a choice that would change both their lives.

"It must be hard, living all alone. I know it's hard for me. We could both use some family, and my house is big enough, so I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me? I've got plenty of money, and we could train more effectively." stated Sasuke. Naruto looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Me? Move in with you? Are you serious?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.

'_What's his motive? Why the change of heart all of a sudden? It doesn't matter, he's got enough money to fix all my troubles. I'll go along with it...for now._' Naruto thought.

"All right Uchiha, you've got a deal." Naruto said, shaking his hand. That's when the two little princesses finally came back from their 'girl talk'. Ten-Ten looked down, blinked twice, then looked back up.

"Umm, my father bought these weights as a joke. They're insanely heavy, are you sure you want them?" she asked.

"I put them on the counter, didn't I?" Sasuke replied, handing her the money.

"Ok, if you say so. Given your purchases, you are eligible for the Ten-Ten Tool Set. For an extra 35 ryo, you get a packaged set of our finest ninja tools, picked by me, Ten-Ten. Would you like to make this purchase?" asked Ten-Ten monotonously.

"Sure." Sasuke handed her the money, picked up his stuff, and went to wait outside. While waiting, he put on his new gear. The jumpsuit fit perfectly and felt very natural. The armbands weren't so bad, though he did have to try in order to move his arms. The leg weights, well...unless he exerted chakra from his legs, he was immobilized. He wore his regular outfit over the new gear (he changed in the dark alley next to the store, if you're wondering). Soon the others came out of the store. Naruto was decked out with a bunch of weapons, and Hinata just bought the few medical supplies they had, which could easily be used to kill as well (of course).

"Well gang," started Naruto, "we've had a fun night, but it looks like it's almost past our bedtimes, so how's about we start heading home?" Sasuke and Hinata were almost neighbors, so it was no wonder that they were heading in the same direction. The orphanarium, however, was on the other side of town, which is why Hinata was confused as to why Naruto was walking with them.

"He's, uh, moving in with me. Figured I could use the company, plus the whole team would be living nearby. It would be more conveniant." explained Sasuke. Hinata decided not to ask questions. She also wasn't as open as when she and Sasuke walked together, and neither was he. They just kind of coasted along in silence to their destinations. Sasuke respectfully said goodbye to Hinata when they had to part ways. Naruto just watched, noticing that both of them seemed a little down when they realized they had to part. He smirked widely, cathcing Sasuke's attention.

"What?" he asked. No response. "What!?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"...Nice...place..." stated Naruto, observing the intricate and no doubt expensive decorations.

"So, where do I sleep?" he asked.

"This estate was designed as a self-contained ecosystem for the Uchiha clan, so as to not need or facilitate village contact in the event that village relations became negative. Ergo, there are over 20 houses on this property, and I occupy only one room of one house. Everything else, feel free to use at your luxury, unless told differently by me. Now, goodnight." Sasuke explained on his way up the winding marble staircases.

"That's it? Not even a tour?"

"A tour takes time, time that 'd much rather spend sleeping. You'd better get some sleep too. We wake up at 6:00, sharp. We've got a lot of training to do."

"6 O' CLOCK!? Yeah, sure I'm getting up that early in the morning. You'll have to throw a bucket of ice water on me before I wake up." Naruto replied mockingly.

"Ok, but don't sleep with your mouth open." Naruto chased after him up the stairs, saying, "What's that supposed to mean?" He followed him up to Sasuke's room, which was filled with tons of gadgets, most pryed open and dismantled, others charred and out of working condition. There was a very powerful looking computer on top of a metal desk on the opposite side of the room, which looked like it had been dismantled, disected, and modded many times. Next to it was a large library of scrolls and research books. All around the room were awards and the Uchiha emblem. On his nightstand was a picture of a younger Sasuke, and what appeared to be his family.

"Don't touch that!" said Sasuke, grabbing the picture out of Naruto's hands. Naruto realized why Sasuke was hurting on the inside.

"You must really miss them, huh?" said Naruto.

"You have no idea." replied Sasuke. Naruto saw a sliding door leading to a connecting room. He decided to see what it was, since Sasuke was distracted with the picture. Through the door was a small, completely metal room. There were no windows, and there was one small red lamp in the farthest corner. The only thing in the room was a small desk, cluttered with ingrediants, herbs, vials, and blueprints. There was a tiny roll of paper, shaped like a sphere, hovering over the desk.

"Oooh, what's this?" asked Naruto, touching the orb. It began to glow and kanji appeared on it. Sasuke was finally aware of what was happening, and became quite pale.

"NO, DON'T-"

_BOOOM!!_

Naruto came flying out of the room, covered in smoke and ash, destroying the door and Sasuke's wall. Luckily, he didn't break anything valuable, just the wall and whatever data Sasuke had gathered on those blueprints and ingrediants. Popping out of the rubble, Naruto exclaimed, "That was awesome, can I do it again!?" Naruto ran back to the chemistry lab, but was stopped by Sasuke grabbing the back of his shirt.

"No skippy, you've caused enough damage. It's time to go to sleep, so go find a room and leave me alone." With that, Sasuke tossed him out the door and removed his new weights. Exerting all that chakra tired him out considerably. He took off his usual attire, deciding to sleep in his new jumpsuit. He had a restless night, since his dream kept reverting to Naruto blowing everything up, and since a lot of the things that Sasuke kept around were dangerous and explosive, that could very well happen. He awoke early enough to make breakfast for the two of them. This breakfast consisted of a special concoction that Sasuke came up with a few years ago that supplied all of the nutrients and stuff that the body needed for breakfast. Unfortunately, it commonly turned the tongue green for about half an hour. With breakfast made, Sasuke went off to find Naruto. Having no idea where Naruto decided to sleep, he looked in every room of the estate, and sure enough, he was in the last room of the last house.

"Did you pick this room just so you could waste my time and get more sleep?" asked Sasuke. An incoherent 'Unfmmrarajara' was his response.

"I'll take that as a yes." So, keeping good on what they discussed the day before, Sasuke dumped a bucket of ice water on Naruto. Luckily, he slept with his mouth closed. Naruto instantly woke up, kicking and screaming.

"I said 6 o'clock sharp. You've already wasted 20 minutes, so eat up and get ready, because we're training even harder now." said Sasuke. Naruto looked down at the...thing that Sasuke handed him. Deciding he was too tired to ask questions, he just gulped it down. It was rather intense, since Sasuke had intended it to be eaten like a regular breakfast and not all at once. After the very strange taste, Naruto felt rejuvinated. He got up, not bothering to have changed the night before, so he was ready. They went out to Sasuke's personal training field, which was filled with chopped, distorted, and burnt down tree trunks, and a small army of training dummies scattered around.

"Let's start with some light sparring. No weapons." stated Sasuke, earning a groan from Naruto. "All right, BEGIN!" And before Sasuke could continue, a smoke bomb distorted his vision, blenketing the surroundings.

"Oh, so you're gonna hide, are you? Then I guess I'll seek." mocked Sasuke, trying to hone in on his chakra signal. Before he could, Naruto tackled him from behind, trying to throw him, but not succeeding. Sasuke just laughed, followed by him punching Naruto in the face, disorienting him. He ran in for another punch, but this time Naruto poofed away. 'A Shadow Clone?' he thought. He was proven right when two Narutos pushed him down onto two other ones that tried to launch Sasuke into the air, again unsuccessfully. 'I guess these weights have some unseen benefits.' thought Sasuke. He used substitution jutsu, followed by Phoenix Flower Jutsu to fire small, precise fireballs at each Shadow Clone. Once all of them were gone, Sasuke was able to hone in on the faint chakra signal. 'Those Shadow Clones must have worn him out.' realized Sasuke. He threw a kunai at Naruto's position, knocking him out of the only tree in the field with leaves left.

"I win." exclaimed Sasuke. He noticed that Naruto was out of breath.

"That jutsu is forbidden. Where did you learn it?" inquired Sasuke. Smirking, Naruto answered, "About a year ago, I stole the Scroll of Sealing from the Hokage's Mansion. It was pretty simple, I just used my Sexy Jutsu to get passed everyone. I gave it back afterwards."

"Hmm, interesting. Now get up, we're not done training." replied Sasuke. They continued until 8:40 A.M. They each learned a little from the other, and they each became stronger by the end of the session. They had won equally. Sasuke would win once, Naruto would win once, and they kept this balance throughout. Sasuke almost didn't have to exert chakra anymore just to move, though he was still significantly impaired by the weights. It would be at least a month or two before he really started to gain speed and strength from the weights. Either that, or his leg muscles and arteries would internally shred to pieces, paralyzing him permanently and most likely killing him very painfully...he was hoping for the former. Naruto became more creative with his Shadow Clones and learned how to better predict an opponents movements. They were both incredibly beat from all the training. They lied down for just a moment. Naruto almost fell asleep, but Sasuke was reenergized in just a few moments.

"Come on, we have to go or we'll be late!" said Sasuke. Naruto refused to get up, but when Sasuke grabbed his hand to pull him up, he instantly felt alive again. Unbeknowst to the both of tthem, a surge of red chakra had just entered Naruto's body when they came into contact...

"Haha, I am victorious!" yelled Naruto as he arrived at the Hero's Memorial Stone before Sasuke. They had a race from their house to the Stone, and Naruto had (barely) won. In the middle of the race they started using jutsu against each other, which frightened the civilians of Konoha.

"Don't get all high and mighty, you only won because I'm wearing weights as heavy as an elephant's ass on my legs." replied Sasuke. Naruto frowned.

"You always got to ruin things, don't you? It's like your body needs the things around you to be ruined."

"You're the one that ruins things, I just step in and do it better than you. Just like everything else."

"Oh hardy har har, say what you want, but I won as many battles as you did."

"Yeah, and I don't see anything strangling the life out of your legs."

"There you go, you're ruining things again." The boys would have continued this mock battle had they not seen Hinata and their sensei walking up to the Memorial Stone.

"Good, everyone's here. Now I can tell you all my exciting news. Today we will accept our first official mission!" exclaimed Minato-sensei with enthusiasm. Naruto whooped and hollered with excitement. Hinata just stood there, twiddling with her fingers, as always. Sasuke was the only one out of the 4 that seamed to realize 1 important fact.

"Sensei, we are only Genin. Doesn't that mean that we will only be allowed D-ranked missions, and rarely, C-ranked missions?" asked Sasuke, causing Naruto to immediately stop his dancing.

"Sasuke, don't be so negative. While these missions may not be your definition of 'exciting', 'necessary', or 'worth your time', they are still missions that help your village to grow and prosper, as well as your wallet. Plus, this is your first step into the ninja world, so be proud!" explained Minato-sensei. Naruto resumed his dancing after hearing the short speech. Sasuke sighed, giving up.

"All right, let's go rescue a cat, or whatever the devil it is they make us do these days..."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

(Cue 'James Bond' theme song)

"Is the target in sight?" asked Minato-sensei over their radio headsets.

"Roger that." replied Sasuke.

"Ok, GO!" ordered Minato. The 3 ninjas expertly restrained their assigned target; the pet cat of the Fire Lord's wife...

"Target acquired, mission accomplished." stated Hinata, as the scared cat maimed Naruto in the background.

"Allright, now let's go collect our reward, shall we?" Back in the Mission Briefing Room, the Fire Lord's eccentric wife nearly suffocated the poor kitty with love.

"Oh thank you, thank you! I'll make sure this doesn't happen again! Come along kitty, it's time for your facial." The gang had to restrain their laughter when they heard the cat's fear-ridden 'meow'. The Third Hokage entered the room and handed Minato a new mission scroll.

"For your naxt mission, the Yamanaka Flower Shop has requested that-" Naruto cut him off, yelling, "Damn it old man! All we've done for the past month and a half is 'rescue' that stupid cat and help people clean their yards! Isn't there anything a little bit more, oh I don't know, relevant to an actual ninja's job description!?"

"Naruto, how dare you speak to the Hokage like that! Apologize, now!" scolded Minato-sensei. Sasuke and Hinata were going to join in, but they had to agree with Naruto. They were beginning to very much, greatly, unquestionably, unanimously, inevitably dislike this mundane repitition. The Third Hokage smiled and put his hand up to stop Minato-sensei.

"It's ok Minato. I understand the boy's plight. As a matter of fact, I think I know the perfect C-ranked mission to send you on."

"A C-ranked mission!? Are you serious!?" the whole group shouted together.

"Yes, a C-ranked mission. It just came in, actually. A man by the name of Tazuna has requested help. He is a bridge builder, and needs a group of ninja to escort him to his newest project and help him finish."

Naruto began jumping for joy, and even Hinata and Minato-sensei showed some relief in their faces. Only Sasuke seemed to be annoyed by the mission.

'_Why would a bridge builder need NINJA escorts? Something just doesn't add up here..._'

"Allright gang, does everyone have their stuff?" asked Minato-sensei. Naruto was wearing his usual orange outfit, complete with a matching orange backpack filled with weapons. Sasuke wore his black training jumpsuit, with his weights and red weight sheaths on top. Over all that, he wore his usual blue Uchiha shirt, then a baggy (but NOT falling down) pair of black, stonewashed jeans, and black ninja shoes. He brought his big, dark blue backpack filled with all his strange gadgets and knick-knacks. Hinata wore her usual get-up, and packed modestly, bringing a few extra sets of clothes and some medical supplies and scrolls. Of course, the bridge builder was all ready.

"Ok, since the Land of Waves isn't so far away, and we don't really have a faster way to travel right now, we'll just go walking. Tazuna, you lead the way. Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata, you stay behind him, I'll stay in the rear to watch over everything." The gang got into formation, and everything was going swell until about an hour into the journey, when they were ambushed by two Mist Village ninjas. The enemy ninja threw poison tipped chains at Tazuna, who was too scared to move. Minato pushed him out of the way, but not before the chains got to Minato.

"Sensei!" the 3 Genin called out. Of course, the only thing the enemies hit was a log that appeared in the sensei's place. Surprised that they didn't hit him, they weren't able to see him sneak up behind them with 2 kunais in his hands...

SLASHH!

The 2 ambushers fell onto the ground, cold and dead. Minato turned to Tazuna.

"I think you've got some explaining to do." stated Minato, seeming quite angry. Tazuna looked very nervous, and reluctantly began to explain, "Well, you see, there's this tyrant who's taken over the Land of Waves. His name is Gato, and he is suffocating the life out of my poor village. This bridge I'm building is the last hope for my land. Gato is trying to stop me from finishing the bridge. I even heard he's sent an S-class missing-nin to kill me! That's why I went to the Leaf Village for help, but I can't afford the funds for an A-ranked mission, so I lied and said it was only C-ranked. Please you have to understand, I'm growing desperate! I need your help!" pleaded Tazuna. After hearing his story, the kids didn't really care about the mix up, they wanted to help anyways. Minato-sensei thought for a few moments, then continued on.

"Let's keep going, I want to be in the Land of Waves before nightfall." replied Minato-sensei, much to the delight of all those who heard him. The gang pressed on, until soon they cam to a lake, hidden by a thick mist. An old fisherman was kind enough to row them across the lake to the other side, the Land of Waves. It was at this point that Minato-sensei pulled the ones nearest to him down, yelling, "Get down!" to the others, as a mysterious sword the size of a man flew threw the air and impaled itself horizontally to the tree ahead of them...


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What the hell was that!?" exclaimed Naruto. Suddenly, a masked man jumped and landed onto the huge sword stuck in the tree. He slowly turned around, glaring at everyone.

"Well, well, well, you're finally here. I was beginning to think my lackeys may have finished you off. But no matter, you're here now, so it's time...to DIE!" yelled the stranger, jumping down while pulling out his sword. Minato parried his sword with a kunai, buying the rest of the team enough time to get out of the way, but not before Mianto was captured in a Water Prison Shpere. The team ran off into the forest, trying to get Tazuna to safety.

"Hinata, stay here and protect Tazuna-san. Naruto and I will go back and try to rescue Minato-sensei. If we're not back soon, go off without us." explained Sasuke. Hinata nodded, and they went off to put their plan into action. Minato-sensei was trapped, surrounded by copies of the enemy ninja.

"Boys, he can't trap me if his arm isn't in the Water Sphere!" exclaimed Minato-sensei. Sasuke nodded, and pulled out a Demon Wind Shuriken from his backpack, flinging it at the original, slicing apart quite a few Water Clones in the process. He easily caught the shuriken, but didn't notice the second one traveling in its shadow. With no other choice, he jumped over it. Thinking he at last outsmarted the boy, he didn't notice the shuriken transform into Naruto behind him, and was only able to catch Naruto's kunai attack by using his other arm, freeing Minato in the process! Taking his opportunity, Minato-sensei quickly formed chakra into his palm, and began spinning it around rapidly, forming a small ball of violent chakra.

"Rasengan!" he yelled, thrusting the ball into the opponent, sending him flying off-screen, hopefully never to be seen again.

"Wow, that was some great teamwork you two! I'm proud of you guys. Now, I'm about to faint, so carry me to whereever it is we're supposed to go..." said Minato-sensei, proceeding to pass out from loss of energy inside the Water Prison Sphere. Naruto and Sasuke looked at the unconcious body lying before them. '_Shit..._' they both thought. The 2 of them carried their sensei (with great effort) back to their meeting place. Hinata gasped when she saw her sensei passed out, and ran to help them.

"Come on," started Tazuna, "the checkpoint is just up ahead, he can rest there."

They dragged Minato-sensei to Tazuna's home near the forest. There, Minato remained unconcious for a few hours. When he awoke, his worried students bombarded him with questions (of course, not Sasuke though. He's a much more introspective person).

"Who was that? Where did he come from? Why did he attack us? What did you do to him?" asked Naruto and Hinata rapidly, earning an annoyed groan from Minato-sensei.

"If you guys will wait for just a second, maybe I'll answer! Now, the ninja that attacked us is called Zabuza Momochi. He is a powerful missing-nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist, and is quite well known for his assassination services. His prescence here can mean only one thing; he has sold his services to Gato, and we are his targets. There is no time to waste, my attack will most likely not have finished him off. We must begin some real ninja training to prepare you 3 for the difficult battle ahead. Come, I will teach you chakra control, now that I am awake. To the forest!" explained Minato, miraculously getting up from his resting place and rushing outside, followed by his students. He approached an assortment of very large, thick trees in the forest, signaling the Genin to stop.

"For your next assignment, you must each climb to the tops of these trees, **without **using your hands." Naruto and Hinata gasped, while Sasuke kept up his stoic appearance.

"How am I supposed to do THAT!? It's impossible!" argued Naruto. Minato smirked, walking upto the tree, and then **up** it. Naruto's jaw nearly dropped, and Hinata seemed speechless (isn't she always?). Sasuke just kept observing, slightly noticing his chakra fluctuations and how the chakra was gathered in his feet.

"You need to channel your chakra **to** your feet, not through it. Focus on the chakra flowing to your feet, and keep it there. Send too much chakra, and the tree will collapse under the pressure; send too little, and your feet won't stick to the tree. You have to find a balance. Go ahead, try it." commanded Minato-sensei. They each picked out a tree and tried it out. Naruto didn't exert enough chakra, so he fell off instantly. Sasuke exerted too much chakra, leaving a deep footprint in the tree trunk. Hinata, however, exerted just enough chakra, climbing up with great ease (kind of like Goldilox and the Three Bears, huh?). She felt embarrassed when all eyes were on her.

"T-The Hyuga-s-style taij-jutsu requires g-great chakra control..." she timidly tried to explain her prowess. The young rivals ran right back into it, this time Sasuke exerting too little chakra, and Naruto exerting too much. The pattern continued, and soon they became quite frustrated. Minato decided they needed a break. Sasuke decided to rest, but Naruto just kept going...and kept failing. Now that he was close to her, he could ask her the favor he wanted.

"Hey, Hinata, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" asked Sasuke.

"S-Sure, S-Sasuke-kun. W-What is it?" she replied.

"Well, whenever I try to exert a little more chakra, I end up exerting much more than I intended. So I was wondering if you could use your Byakugan to see what's going on in my chakra coils. Can you?" he asked nervously.

"O-Of course." she said, activating her Byakugan. What she saw astounded her. Most people's chakra coils were thin, like wires, and a regular ninja's were about twice the size due to regular use, but Sasuke's were almost quadruple the regular size! There was a lot of chakra flowing through them, too much for a Genin to effectively control. The strangest part was his chakra core. This is a small sphere of chakra in the stomach, which is the main pump for the body's chakra. Usually it's about half the size of a ninja's fist, and the color ranges from light blue, for regular ninja's, to bluish-green for Eight Gate useres and medical ninja. Sasuke's was twice as big, and was a dark red color. Periodically, a thick slip of red chakra would be pumped out with the regular chakra, causing an imbalance that would disrupt the regular chakra flow, and these red slips would become more common when Sasuke tried to exert chakra. Hinata was quite surprised, and a little frightened, but she figured out how to help. By carefully blocking off a few minor tenketsu (chakra points) she could divert the flow of the diluted chakra and make it flow harmlessly out of his bellybutton, which is near the source so the red chakra couldn't get in the way of his chakra flow. Once his ckakra control got better, his tenketsu would automatically unseal as his body adjusted to his new, controlled chakra flow. Hinata timidly explained what she needed to do to help, but didn't tell him about the other details, as she thought he already knew about his irregular chakra system. He agreed to it, and she quickly and expertly blocked off a few tenketsu in the stomach. It felt strange to Sasuke, ticklish but relaxing. He tried to climb up again, and did it on his first try. One step after another, he became more and more excited, until he was running up the tree, screaming. Naruto, watching this whole extravaganza, used his jealousy-ridden adrenaline to fuel his chakra, finally finding the balance to do it.

'If Sasuke-teme can do it, then so can I!' he thought, running up to catch Sasuke. Sasuke noticed Naruto gaining on him, and really pushed himself, going faster. Naruto did the same. Soon they reached the top, neck-and-neck, but of course, their rivalry wouldn't let them stop there. They kept trying to run, even though there was no tree left to run on. Gravity soon kicked in, pulling the reckless ninjas down. It also soon dawned on them that they were plummeting down over 30-feet. Luckily, before they could make any dying confessions, Minato-sensei, doing the whole _sensei_ thing, caught them both in mid-air.

"Ok, next time, realize you guys can't run on air yet! It would save us all unneeded grief and anxiety." nagged Minato-sensei. The boys turned to eachother, smiling and out of breath.

"Want to race again?" asked Naruto.

"If you actually put up a fight this time." replied Sasuke. Practice went on for hours as Naruto and Sasuke refused to quit. Hinata periodically climbed up the trees as well, so as not to get rusty. Eventually, the three tired out, so they all went back to Tazuna's house for rest and relaxation. Of course, being the rivals that they are, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't leave their competitions alone for a few minutes, and thus they soon began to choke. The two threw up the recent contents of their dinners, and the first words out of their mouths were, "More food!" Hinata was quite surprised at the amount of food they were consuming. She had never seen someone eat so much, let alone two. Minato was forced to intervene, lest the two vomit again. Tazuna left, heading to work on the bridge. His ninja bodyguards followed. When they arrived, they noticed something peculiar. A very thick mist clouded the surroundings, and two human silhouettes were hiding in the mist.

"Oh no..." whispered the team in unison. Things were about to get crazy...


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hinata, protect Tazuna. Stay away from the bridge until the mist clears. Sasuke and Naruto, I'll take Zabuza, tou take down his accomplice." ordered Minato. The gang filed out, following their orders. Sasuke and Naruto found Zabuza's accomplice, a tall person in a blue robe and wearing a hunter-nin mask.

"My name is Haku. I cannot allow you to get close to Zabuza. Goodbye." said the masked ninja. Naruto was suddenly bombarded with little spears of ice.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called out as he fell to the floor. The two of them were quickly encased in a dome of ice mirrors. Haku's reflection shown on each of them.

"You two are dead now. I can move faster than light in these mirrors. I can attack you from anywhere, anyplace, at anytime. In here, I'm God." boasted Haku, swiftly attacking the two helpless Genin.

'_Crap, that ninja moves way too fast! I can't see the attacks coming! I need to see, or I can't react, and if I can't react, I'm dead!_' paniced Sasuke. A surge of chakra was involuntarily sent to his eyes, and everything seemed to slow down. He could much more clearly see Haku moving.

'_Could...could it be? Have I awakened my Sharingan!? Yes, I have, I can feel it!_' thought Sasuke, visibly excited. Sasuke shot a fireball at Haku, but it missed.

'_Ok, focus Sasuke. You can do this._' He stopped and concentrated. Things became more clear. Sasuke threw another fireball. He missed again, but this time he singed a piece of Haku's shirt!

'Yes, I'm getting better! It's only a matter of time...' Haku must have been thinking the same thing, because he went for Naruto next, who was already immobilized.

"No, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, but he couldn't react fast enough, and Haku's senbons appeared to pierce vital areas. Naruto seemed to be...dead. Sasuke knealed over his corpse.

"No, no, this can't be happening. I just started to have a family again, and now this one gets taken away too!?" exclaimed Sasuke, starting to cry.

"Is this the first time you have seen a friend die in battle?" asked Haku. Hearing the killer's voice awoke something within Sasuke. The ground around him began to shatter as massive amounts of demonic chakra poured out of him. A small red aura covered Sasuke. His teeth became fangs, his nails became claws. His eyes, which reverted to normal when Naruto was attacked, became dark red again, sporting a black sclera like a fox. Also like a fox, dense 'whiskers' formed on his cheeks. His hair grew slightly longer, and became bloody red. He turned to Haku, bloodlust palpable.

"**You'll pay for that!**" shouted this new Sasuke. Away from the battle, Minato sensed something odd in the air...something evil.

'_Shit, did he...?_'

Back in the ice dome, Sasuke roared with anger, causing a few of the ice mirrors to crack. Sasuke, with his new found chakra fueling his new born Sharingan, saw Haku flying through the mirrors much more clearly. Before Haku could make another revolution, Sasuke punched Haku square in the face, thrusting the enemy ninja through the ice mirrors, destroying all of them. Sasuke lunged onto Haku, pounding and clawing until Haku was no more. Until Sasuke's hands were stained for the first time in his life. Until Haku was dead. Seeing Haku dead caused the violent chakra to slowly calm down. Soon he was in control again. He knew that, as a ninja, he would be required to kill eventually, but he didn't know it would be like this. He had heard that ninjas often feel guilt or grief when they first take a life. Not Sasuke. He liked it... he liked it a lot. He didn't stop to really think about it though. The mist was clearing, and he could see Zabuza lying on the ground, a kunai sticking out of him...

"Sensei, something happened back there. Something intense, something crazy. I was useing some totally new chakra. Do you have any idea what happened?" inquired Sasuke, excitedly. Minato sighed.

"Yes, unfortunately I do. About 12 years ago, a Nine Tailed Fox attacked our village. The Second Hokage gave his life to seal it away into a new born baby; you. Your father and him made the arrangement. What happened back there was you tapping into that hidden source of power. Just be careful Sasuke. Where's Naruto?" Minato-sensei explained.

'Who...what...wait, what happened? Oh man, this explains so much...' thought Sasuke, pointing to Naruto's body. As Minato went over to check on Naruto, Sasuke walked over to Zabuza's lifeless body. Sasuke took his very large sword and strapped it to his back, as a little trophy of the battle. He returned just as Minato was pulling out senbons from Naruto's corpse. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open and he began breathing again.

"Wh-what...happened?" he weakly asked.

"Oh thank God, I thought I'd lost you! I mean, It's good that you're not dead." replied Sasuke. Naruto smirked.

"Careful Sasuke. It almost sounds like you missed me."

"If you mean I was starting to miss getting a good laugh out of your idiocy, then yes, I missed you." Naruto looked as if he was going to retort, but he was cut off by Hinata and Tazuna calling their names. The team found eachother, and Minato-sensei vaguely explained what was going on. Together, they all finished the Great Konoha Bridge, which is what Tazuna decided to name it, within hours. The Leaf Ninjas were at the gates preparing to leave, when Tazuna caught up to them.

"Wait! I wanted to make up for lying to you guys. This bridge will bring economic stability and prosperity to my village, and will allow us to overthrow Gato. All of this is only possible thanks to you four. As a token of my appreciation, I have left a letter to the Hokage explaining the situation, and the remaining funds for an A-ranked mission. I hope this helps." With that little speech, Team 7 waved goodbye to the town's people and took to the trees. They didn't want to waste a second. God they missed their home...


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were happy. Actually, they were more than happy. They were the first team of Genin ever to complete an A-ranked mission. They felt pretty damn proud. They had celebrated with a round of ramen (what else?). When Mr. Ichiraku heard the news, he gave them the ramen on the house. That made the ramen taste sweeter. Minato-sensei called an emergency meeting at the training field. He was late, as usual.

"My wonderful students, I have called all of you here today to tell you that you may soon no longer be required to be my disciples. The time has come for that extra-special time of year. It is time for the Chunin Exams!" explained Minato-sensei, as eccentric as ever. Naruto and Hinata jumped for joy (well, Hinata's was more like a hop for hidden happiness). Sasuke was as indifferent as ever.

"The Chunin Exams? Are you sure we're ready, sensei? I mean, some Jonin hold their students back a whole year, or more, just so that they'll stand a chance." asked Sasuke. To the common observer, Sasuke might seem like he was worried, but he wasn't. He was just making sure. It wasn't the Chunin Exams, he was anxious about something else...

"No need to worry, Sasuke. You three completed an A-ranked mission without even being fully aware of what the mission entailed. I have my utmost confidence in you three. In fact, my exuberance may even be setting a trend. After I recommended you guys, Kurenai and Asuma recommended their teams. For the first time, it looks like the entire Rookie 9 will be competing in the Chunin Exams!" With his vocabulary and gesticulations, you'd think Minato-sensei was a politician, huh? Well, needless to say, yet I'm going to say it anyways, Team 7 was excited. They each got their entrance papers and were dismissed. Naruto said he had some business to take care of, so it was just Sasuke and Hinata, walking home alone tonight. Even after a couple months, they were nervous around eachother, though neither understood it. Eventually, Hinata turned to Sasuke and shyly asked, "D-Do you t-think I-I should enter the Exams? I-I know I-I'm not v-very strong, so..." Sasuke stopped her and looked her in the eyes.

"Hinata, I don't care what anybody says, not even you. I'm telling you right now that you are strong. You mastered chakra control first in our group, and it's thanks to you that I'm able to control my chakra at all. You're a strong young woman, definitely strong enough to be a Chunin." After his spontaneous response, Sasuke and Hinata realized that Sasuke's hands were on her shoulders. The 2 blushed and apologized profusely, then continued on without saying a word. Soon, they were each home, lying on their beds, thinking the same thing.

'_What the hell just happened?_'

Sasuke was staring at his ceiling (which was covered with all the family pictures of the Uchiha). He was lying on his bed in his black muscle shirt, stonewashed jeans, and socks, pondering.

'_Great,_' he thought, '_now I have to deal with the Chunin Exams. I'm already stressed about the news that I have a demon sealed inside me. I haven't been able to sleep, and now I have these strange whiskers on my cheeks. Thankfully Hinata hasn't said anything about them. Wait, why do I care what she thinks? Damn it, what's happening to me!?_' He sighed, getting up and walking to his computer.

'_Maybe they have some good news,_' he thought. Sasuke logged onto his Jabber account and started a 4-way chat with a few of his father's old acquaintances from out of town.

_CopyCat2369: How gos the hunt?_

_TwinxniwT: Nothin here in the Cloud Village_

_ppetro360: Same here, srry :(_

_KoalaComerQueso: Got a few leads. Chekin 'em, ill keep u guys updated_

_CopyCat2369: :) gr8, thx again guys. I g2g cya_

"Finally, some good news!" Sasuke said to himself. He went to his new chemistry lab, which was now underground, locked up tight, and Naruto-proof. He spent a little while experimenting with some bombs for the Chunin Exams. Afterwards, he leveled his training field again for a few hours and went to sleep...eventually. His dream progressed much like every night. Him stuck in a maze of sewers, no way of getting out. Although there was a difference this time. A faint, red light was leading him through the maze. The more he followed, the brighter the light got, and the louder the echoes became...


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The light swallowed him at the end of the maze. When Sasuke could see again, he was in a sealed room, no way in or out. In front of him was a giant gate, with a paper seal on the lock. He confronted the gate, but jumped back as far as he could when an eye about the size of him appeared behind the gate!

"_**You seek answers. That is why you have arrived here. These answers I may or may not be able to provide. You may ask your questions."**_ Sasuke nearly fell over as...whatever it was that lurked behind that gate spoke. The longer he stayed there the more scared Sasuke grew.  
"W-Wh-Who...o-or what are you?" Sasuke asked, quite nervous.

"_**A reasonable question. I am a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I am the first of them, and I am the last of them. I am the darkness before the dawn. I AM THE NINE TAILED DEMON FOX!"**_ The room shook and the roof crumbled as It said the last part. This time Sasuke did fall over. It was getting increasingly difficult to speak.

"Why did you attack my village?" It growled in frustration at this question.

"_**This question was expected. Unfortunately, not even I know the answer to this question. I have knowledge of a reason for my attack, but what that reason is was taken from me by one not unlike yourself. He carried the same cursed blood that you do. And those eyes...why fate would have stuck me with my worst enemy, I do not know, but I despise those eyes with a passion. Those abominations took away my free will, and I am a creature that very much enjoys its free will. Although, I will admit, my hatred for those eyes wanes with each passing day. Being in your body must be awakening me to the potential that our mixed blood may have. Only Time will unveil the blinds put over you and me."**_ The Fox explained. Sasuke let it sink in for a moment before asking his next question.

"So, if you're in my body, and I'm talking to you right now, that must mean we share a bond. What does this bond allow us?"

"_**This question was expected, as well. I can tell you of the effects that our bond has of which I already know. Due to your bloodline, there is much potential for other powers that I have not experienced with past hosts, so Time will have to show us those. What I know now is that my chakra is essentially your chakra. My soul has been split. My Yin chakra is inaccessible to either of us, but you may siphon my Yang chakra as you so please. This chakra is very different from mortal chakra. It has a mind of its own. Lucky for you, that mind must protect its host, no matter what. Because of this, a small amount of my chakra always squirms out of my prison and mingles with your chakra. This used to disrupt your chakra flow, but it seems you have disabled that effect. This small amount of chakra allows you many superhuman qualities. The only one active before was your regenerative abilities, which were a representation of my selfish will to live. Now that you and I have formed a stronger synch, all of your human faculties will be advanced to an above average level. If you have noticed, your weights have been hindering your speed to a level that is still quite fast. This comes at a slight 'cost', as I'm sure you'll consider it. You will have more animalistic tendencies, and you will have 'whiskers' on your face as a sign of our bond. As you will undoubtedly discover in your upcomeing Chunin Exams, your new bond with me will make your chakra levels nigh-infinite, and drawing upon my chakra will allow you unmatched power...at a certain cost, of course, which you will have to discover for yourself. Now, I can feel your conciousness slipping, so before I allow you to drift off to your little dreams, I will allow you one piece of advice. I have information that leads me to strongly suggest that you pay attention to that Hyuga heiress. You will definitely regret it if you got on her bad side, so to speak. Some day, you will understand my warning. Now go, I have grown tired of this conversation."**_ Sasuke had just let everything sink in, and before he could respond, he was back in the sewers, but this time with no light to guide him.

"No, wait! Aw, damn it! And I was just getting somewhere. What did he...or she...it, mean by that? Why should I keep a look out for Hinata? And that last part? Hinata couldn't hurt another human out of anger...could she? Ugh, things just keep getting more and more complicated..."


	11. Chapter 10

Hello, my dear audience. It's me, Henry, the author of this fanfiction! I'm just stopping by to say that I really appreciate all of you guys taking time out of your busy schedules to read my story, and I loved your reviews. Thank you to all of you guys, and feel free to message me anytime. I'm always looking for new friends. Now, without further adue, back to the 10th chapter of my first fanfiction, The Nine Tailed Copy Cat! Enjoy!

...

**Chapter 10**

The day had arrived. Team 7 approached the Exam Stadium, no sure what to expect. After Sasuke's little outburst the night before, Hinata definitely felt more confident. They entered their designated testing room, which was packed with all types of Genin. Team 7 noticed their immediate competition, well, immediately. Team 8, consisting of Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno, instructed by Jonin Kurenai. Shino was the strongest on the team, but Kurenai seemed to have taken a liking to Sakura, developing her keen mind and teaching her strong Genjutsu...technigues that Sasuke looked forward to stealing. He was just beginning to realize the amazing potential of his bloodline. A wide grin plastered itself onto his face. A whole village's worth of promising Genin, just waiting to show everyone what they're made of, and Sasuke was more than happy to sit back and watch.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! How are you doing!?" yelled Naruto, rushing up to his crush. Sasuke found crush to be quite an appropriate name, since she continuously crushed Naruto, both physically and emotionally. He didn't feel like paying attention to the ensuing argument, so he continued to scope out his competition. Next on the list, Team 11. Consisting of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka, Sasuke noticed that they made up the famous Ino-Shika-Cho combination that their fathers started years before. Their sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, was a very powerful Jonin, the son of the Third Hokage and the only person with an affinity for wind chakra in the whole Land of Fire. Despite all this, Sasuke didn't have a particular respect for him. He was a smoker. Sasuke thought, _'If the man has no respect for his own body, why does he deserve it from me?'_ Anyways, each member of the team had some interesting jutsu, and Shikamaru seemed like quite a character. Even Ino caught his attention, though for a different reason then you'd might expect. She was similar to Sakura, though not quite as...'Sakura-ish', if that makes any sense. Sasuke thought that Naruto should give up on Sakura and go for Ino. She had a higher chance of reciprocating his feelings than Sakura, though he would still have to get rid of the whole 'fangirl' thing before Naruto had a shot with just about any girl within a 60 mile radius. While it might not seem like it, Sasuke took this whole 'friend' thing very seriously, and felt it was his duty to help his so-called friend, whether that be avenging his death or finding him a girlfriend. Onto a team that Sasuke was very eager about. Team Gai, the Taijutsu experts. He could definitely learn a thing or two from them. The team consisted of Neji Hyuga, who was Hinata's bitter cousin, Ten-Ten, the girl from the Three-Pronged Kunai store, and Rock Lee, a most curious fellow. He wore leg weights and a jumpsuit, much like Sasuke. The difference? Sasuke didn't wear his in gross colors that shouted, "look at me, world! I'm here alone because I make horrible decisions!" Their sensei, Maito Gai, looked just like Lee, beatles bowl-cut, bushy brows, and all. Minato complained about Maito Gai a lot. Said he never stops bothering him for rematches. He also warned Team 7 not to underestimate Team Gai. There weren't many others that stood out (or had names, for that matter). One group that definitely stood out were the Sand Siblings, the children of the current Kazekage. There was Temari, who sported a giant fan, Kankuro, who seemed to have a mummy tied to his back, and Gaara, the red-haired one with a sand gourd on his back. They made eye-contact for a second, and Sasuke could feel the sand ninja's bloodlust boiling. At the same time, the Kyubi began growling.

'What's wrong?' Sasuke said to the Kyubi. He learned that they could converse in his head earlier that morning.

'_**That boy...there's something inside him, something evil. He is a host as well. We will have to wait till he fights before I can deduce which of my siblings has cracked that pitiful mind of his. Look at him, he hasn't slept in years! I am going to have to advise you to not anger him...at least not until we know what he's capable of.**_' explained the Nine Tailed Fox. Sasuke decided to take its advice. There were two other teams worthy of notice in the room. The Sound Genin, a group of three ninja from the recently founded Sound Village. He did not know their names yet, but he did know that they each had some kind of unnatural modification done to their bodies. The final team was another group of Leaf Genin, though Sasuke did not know who their sensei was. The only one who introduced himself was one by the name of Kabuto. Sasuke didn't trust him. He smelled of snakes. He didn't like snakes. Suddenly the room went dark for a few moments, and when the lights came back on, the room accomodated a new party of guests; the Exam Teachers. Standing in front of the class was Ibiki Morino, head of the ANBU Interrogation and Torture Department.

"The first part of the Chunin Exams will now begin. You have each been given an envelope with your written test papers and your seating arrangements. You may now take your seat." explained Ibiki. Everyone looked down, surprised to see that they indeed each held an envelope. The room began to buzz with the Genin talking about what had just occurred.

"I SAID YOU MAY NOW TAKE YOUR FUCKING SEATS!!" proclaaimed Ibiki, scaring the Genin half-to-death, some of them were even scared twice (if you got that joke, kudos to you). Noone wasted a second getting to their assigned seats.

"Good. Now you may begin your test. You will each have an hour to answer all the questions, and you will begin with ten points. The penalty for cheating will be two points, and if you run out of points, you and your team will be disqualified. You may begin." Ibiki explained. Sasuke looked down at his test.

_'These questions are way too hard for an average Genin. I doubt even a Chunin would know how to answer these questions...ah, I get it. They're not testing our knowledge, but our knowledge of how not to get caught. Very clever.'_ he thought. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and noticed the person in front of him writing down an answer to the 1st question. He copied the hand motions, and found the answer to be correct. He didn't fully understand the question, but when he read the answer, he was able to deduce what it meant and how to do what it said, as if he had taken a class on it.

_'Must be the Fox's influence.'_ thought Sasuke. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hinata's eye veins bulge, indicatng she had activated her Byakugan. He wrote a message to her on his paper.

Hinata, can you see this? Nod your head if you can. She nodded her head immediately afterward.

The guy in front of me knows the answers, copy them down. She nodded once more, and Sasuke just prayed that Naruto would figure something out in time. He continued copying the guy in front of him. Soon he arrived at question 10. 'Instructions on how to complete this assignment will be given at the 45-minute mark. Please wait diligently.' was written in the question space. Sasuke didn't have to wait much longer. Soon, Ibiki's monstrous voice filled the room.

"It is now time to decide if you would like to attempt to answer question 10. If you choose not to, you and your team will be disqualified, but you will be allowed to try again next year. If you try to answer, but get it wrong, you will be disqualified and must forever remain a Genin. So which will it be? All who wish not to attempt the question, you may leave now." A large portion of the room became empty in an instant. Sasuke looked around. All the teams he had inspected earlier were still in the room. _'Good,_' he thought, _'wouldn't want to get rid of the competition before I get a chance to learn from them.'_

"As for the rest of you brave ninja who have decided to attempt this life-changing obstacle...congratulations! You pass!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Wait, WHAT!?" shouted the class of Genin, except for a few, Sasuke being one of them. He had already figured out the purpose of the test, and of question 10. As for the rest of them, Ibiki had to explain it.

"As a Chunin, you will be forced to make difficult decisions, often concerning many people's lives, including your own. This test was designed to see if you understand the ninja philosophy and how to make decisions that may have repercussions. All of you who chose to risk your future careers in order to progress have shown an understanding of these principles, and for that, you may all continue on to the next phase of the Chunin Exams." The Genin didn't even have time to celebrate when a cloaked figure shot through the window, landing in front of Ibiki.

"Say no more, I'll take it from here. Hello everybody, my name is Anko, and I'm your next instructor! Follow me as I will direct you to the battlefield for the second part of the Chunin Exams!" yelled the loud purple-haired Jonin. She actually reminded Sasuke of his teacher, and Naruto. All three of them were insane, or 'eccentric' as nice people say. Sasuke was not a particularly nice person, which is why his recent acts of compassion towards his teammates scared him. Everyone followed Anko to the 44th Battle Training Zone, also known as the Forest of Death, as Ibiki collected the tests. Anko explained the rules when they arrived. They would each be given a scroll and a starting location in secret. They would then be released into the forest, with the objective of collecting the opposite scroll from another team and arriving at the tower in the middle of the forest. Noone was allowed to open the scrolls until they reached the tower. The participants would be allowed 3 days to finish. All three Genin had to be present at the tower in order to finish. Team 7 was given a Scroll of Heaven, which meant they had to find a Scroll of Earth. The second exam started, and everybody was rushing to find a scroll.

"Hinata, use your Byakugan to find someone nearby." said Sasuke. She obliged, activating it and pointing towards a tree a few meters ahead.

"Over there!" she whispered loudly. Sasuke swung around to the front of the tree, where Kabuto was checking somekind of reference book. Before he could notice him, Sasuke kicked him in the stomach, sending his Earth Scroll flying out of his pocket and into Naruto's hands.

"Thank you!" shouted back Sasuke, rushing to catch up to his team. They wanted to get to the tower first. To their great delight and surprise, they made it to the tower in an hour and 37 minutes, not only being the first ones there but also breaking the previous record by 4 hours. While doing their victory dance, they were told they could wait outside. Unfortunately, someone was waiting for them outside.

"Hello Sssasssuke...it'sss great to finally meet you, hehehe." hissed an ominous, and very feminine, voice. Team 7 turned around, being greeted by a tall, creepy looking man...woman...thing. Naruto and Hinata were locked in some kind of fear jutsu when they looked at him, and Sasuke felt himself get sucked into a strange jutsu when he made eye contact. He felt as if his soul was being pulled out of his body and trying to be replaced with something else. His friends were petrified, unable to help. Luckily, Sasuke had one other 'friend' he could count on.

"_**ROOAR!! What are you doing in here, Orochimaru!? OUT!! GET OUT OF HERE!!" **_shrieked the other side of Sasuke. In an instant, the intruder's soul was cast back out, freeing the 3 Genin and launching him into a monstrous tree trunk. Recovering quickly, the freaky ninja began cackling madly.

"Sssso, you are itsss hossst, huh? Hehehe. That putsss quite a thorn in my ssscalesss. But no matter. Consssider thisss my gift to you, Sssasssuke, hehehe." Orochimaru hissed. Suddenly his neck elongated, thrusting his fanged head towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke, look out!" shouted Naruto, lunging to push Sasuke out of the way. He succeeded, at a cost. Orochimaru's teeth were deeply sunk into the base of Naruto's neck!

"GGAAAAHHH!!" screeched Naruto, falling unconscious as Orochimaru pulled back. He looked surprised, but also amused.

"That didn't go asss expected, but maybe thisss will work in my favor. Until next time, Sssasssuke-kun, hehehe." With that, Orochimaru disappeared, leaving 2 confused ninja and 1 unconscious, possibly dying Genin. Not exactly how they envisioned their break. Sasuke ran up to Naruto's body, trying to wake him up.

"Naruto? Naruto!? Wake up! Hinata, go get help inside, quick! Naruto!" shouted Sasuke. Hinata ran inside to call Anko, who got their in a hurry. She saw the mark on his shoulder and knew immediately what had happened. She swooped him into her arms and ran inside to perform a jutsu that would help with the Curse Mark.

'Damn it,' she thought, 'its happening again. And this can only mean one thing...he's back...'

The next contestant to arrive was Gaara and his teammates, only an hour behind Team 7. Sasuke and Gaara's eyes met again, killing intent permeating the atmosphere. Something about him rubbed Sasuke the wrong way...no, not that way, perverts!

"How did you make it here before I did? I am trained to do this kind of stuff as fast as possible." inquired Gaara. Sasuke shrugged.

"I guess your village's standards are lower than ours."

"What did you say!?" yelled Temari. She stepped towards Sasuke, but a small wall of sand rose in front of her, and she stopped on a dime, figuratively. Seeing the sand react to Gaara's chakra, the Kyubi figured out who's host he was.

"_**I'd never mistake that signature. It is my youngest brother, Tanuki, who is trapped in that meat shell. He is a dangerous one. I manifest my powers in areas where corruption and malice are abundant. Tanuki simply attacks those around him for amusement. He is powerful, but we can beat him."**_ stated Kyubi. Sasuke internally quirked an eyebrow.

'So, you consider us working together now? I thought you were evil and resented me.'

"_**Mortal, don't get arrogant. I would withhold all my chakra from you, but I won't allow Tanuki the satisfaction of defeating me, so I will help you this time, though don't expect me to always be this generous! You are my bitch, not the other way around, human!"**_ explained Kyubi. Sasuke internally shrugged his shoulders again.

'Sure, whatever.' Sasuke walked up to Gaara until his face was a few inches away, glaring into his tired, blood-thirsty eyes.

"I hear you're quite strong, Sandy. I'm interested in finding out how strong for myself." He mocked. Gaara's sand began lightly twisting around them, as if a breeze was disrupting it.

"As am I, Uchiha." replied Gaara. Sasuke went back into the tower, followed by Hinata.

"Hey, where have you guys been!?" asked a particularly loud and obnoxious blonde.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Sasuke and Hinata turned around, just in time for Naruto to tackle them down.

"Well, I see you're awake." commented Sasuke as Naruto helped them back up. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, my head's a bit fuzzy, but I do remember I saved you, which means we're even for the whole letting-me-move-in thing. Anko performed somekind of sealing jutsu on me. She seemed amazed that I even survived, which I guess is kind of cool for me." Naruto explained, grinning again. Naruto went on explaining what Anko told him about the Curse Mark for a while. As it would no doubt be long before the next team arrived, and much longer before the second part of the Chunin Exam was over, Team 7 decided to train. There was a small area in the tower for training, so they went there, lest they attract any other strange visitors outside. Sasuke was lifting weights, Naruto was practicing his marksmanship, and Hinata was brewing medicinal compounds using the small indoor garden they had. Sasuke felt a pang of nostalgia as he kept getting glimpses of Hinata's rump when she bent down. After he almost dropped a heavy weight on his foot due to loss of concentration, Sasuke thought it would be best if he did something less dangerous when he was around her. He got onto the treadmill and put it on a high speed, trying to get his mind off her. Unfortunately, all that bending down was having a toll on her back, so Hinata sat down and stretched her back, puffing out her chest. Coincedentally, this was done at the moment Sasuke happened to be looking in her general direction, causing a total lapse in focus. This lead to Sasuke tripping over his own feet, bashing his nose against the treadmill controls, causing not only a bloody nose, but also put the treadmill in its highest speed, which sent Sasuke's now unmoving body into the nearby wall of steel weights. I guess he should of done something a little less dangerous. While Naruto was histerically laughing his ass off, Hinata quickly ran over to him to check if he was ok.

"S-sasuke-k-kun? A-are you ok?" she asked worriedly. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Hinata.

"Am I in Heaven?" he asked. Obviously the treadmill hit him harder than they expected. Naruto began laughing even harder after this statement.

"Let's hope not. We still have a Chunin Exam to finish." stated Naruto between his fits of laughter. Hinata looked very worried, but Naruto reassured her that Sasuke was alright.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine in a little bit. I would suggest that you just becareful with what you do when he's around heavy equipment." Hinata nodded, not really understanding where she fit into all this. Naruto laughed harder after his little joke, and even harder when she gave him a puzzled look, obviously not getting the joke. Hinata was getting a tad bit frustrated with Naruto.

'_What's so funny?_' she thought, '_I want to laugh too, you know...'_

Sasuke stumbled back into sweet unconciousness. He arrived at the room where the Kyubi was sealed, being greeted by...more thunderous laughter.

"_**Hehehe, haha, HAHAHA! This is just too much! Oh, I haven't laughed like this in eons. You are very lucky that only your teammates saw that. Hinata is too innocent to even think that her body is what caused all that, but I bet Naruto isn't! Oh trust me boy, if he didn't know you like her before, he does now!" **_the Nine Tailed Fox explained. Sasuke got a little angry at that last statement.

"What makes you think I like her!? I don't need her! I don't need ANYBODY! I am an Uchiha! The most elite among elites, the wealthiest among the wealthy! She should be down at my feet, begging me to like her, not the other way around! I am NOT weak! I don't like anybody!" shouted Sasuke, losing his control. The Kyubi began laughing again.

_**"You don't like anybody? Is that why you let Naruto move in with you? Because you want to be left alone? How about when you cooked Hinata an extra breakfast, or when you paid her tab at Ichiraku's the night you guys graduated? Face it boy, you're getting soft. Just accept it. You're **__**species needs interaction with others of its kind. It's just the way you guys are. There's nothing you can do about it."**_

"Watch me." replied Sasuke through clenched teeth. Kyubi sighed.

_**"Suit yourself. But before you do anything drastic, go home after the Exams and check your father's old stuff. There's something in there you need to see."**_

__Sasuke was thrust back into the world of conciousness before he could reply. Naruto was shaking him violently.

"Finally, you're up! Come on, they're about to start the next part of the Chunin Exams!" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke felt much better by then, and his regular human functions were coming back to him. He and Naruto ran to the central room and met up with Hinata just as the Hokage began speaking.

"It is great to see so many young, and alive, faces! Congratulations, you're two-thirds of the way finished already! Just one more test, and the Chunin Exams are over! Now, since there are so many teams that survived this year, we will have to make an exception to the usual way we do things, and have a preliminary round. Good luck to all of you! We will start now. The pairings will be announced on the computer screen, and will be chosen at random, excluding same team match-ups, of course. Now, the first match will be..." The lights on the screen began flshing wildly, and soon they stopped, forming the names of...

"Gaara vs. Rock Lee!" announced the Hokage. Various people around the room gasped, except for Gaara's teammates, who smirked, thinking that this Lee kid was toast...warm, buttery toast...mmm...

'_Rock Lee uses a training jumpsuit and weights, similar to what I use. I better pay attention to his fighting style. I'm keeping my Sharingan active from now on._' thought Sasuke, two tomoe surrounding his pupils as he did so. The battle began, and Rock Lee was on an instant offensive. They say the best offense is a good defense. Well, Gaara's defense was tighter than Area 51. None of Lee's attacks were getting through, and Gaara remained motionless, letting his sand do all the work. It wasn't long before Lee realized he needed to get through Gaara's Sand Shield, and his speed wasn't cutting it. Lee's sensei and Sasuke were about the only ones who knew what Lee was planning on doing next. As craters formed on the ground and the shockwave blew everyone back, his peers finally appreciated just how hard Lee trained. Those were some serious weights he was packing, and Sasuke knew exactly how it felt to carry all that weight. It wasn't very enjoyable. As soon as the weights were off, Rock Lee was invisible. He broke through the Sand Shield easily, though it took a while to actually hit Gaara...at least, it seemed like he hit him. Turns out Gaara's defense was tighter than anyone had anticipated. Gaara was wearing a densely packed skin of sand. This Sand Armor is why Gaara wasn't moving. It's very heavy, and chakra-consuming. Rock Lee realized he couldn't hold back if he was going to beat Gaara. He stepped back and unwrapped his arm bandages, preparing for one of his trump cards.

"First Chakra Gate: Open!" shouted Rock Lee, launching himself towards Gaara and kicking him high into the air. Rock Lee disappeared and reappeared underneath Gaara. Lee proceeded to wrap Gaara in the arm bandages and piledrived him into the ground.

"Primary Lotus!" yelled Lee as he unhinged himself and jumped away. It seemed like he had a direct hit. It seemed like Lee had won. But appearences can be decieving. 'Gaara' imploded into a sand pile when the real Gaara appeared behind Rock Lee. Gaara's sand began enveloping Lee, preparing to squash him and splatter his blood and guts everywhere, until...

"Chakra Gates 2 through 5: Open!" Rock Lee shouted, a huge aura of green chakra pushing away all the sand. Sasuke, as well as everyone else, was by now awe-stricken.

'_This guy is unbelievable. Most Jonin can't even open the Chakra Gates! I need to start training seriously, or I'm going to fall behind._' thought Sasuke. Rock Lee again kicked Gaara into the air. This time, he jumped up and began hitting Gaara so fast and with so much force, he looked like a ping-pong ball being flung around.

"Hidden Lotus!" he yelled when he grabbed Gaara with his arm bandages and pulled him into a powerful punch-kick combo. But that wasn't the end of it. Lee travelled so fast that he appeared to be beams of light striking Gaara from all around. As both of them hit the ground, he shouted, "True Hidden Lotus!" Gaara's Sand Armor was now very beaten, but still up. He grabbed Lee's left arm and leg with his sand and broke them easily, Lee not having enough energy left to resist. The battle was over. Gaara had won. He dispersed his defenses and walked away, leaving a badly damaged Lee there. He was carried away on a stretcher. It was time to decide the next match. The lights began flashing again, stopping in the forms of the names...

"The next match will be, Neji Hyuga vs. Hinata Hyuga! Let the match begin!" exclaimed the Third Hokage. '_Oh no..._' panicked Team 7 simultaneously...


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Neji jumped down to the fighting square, eager for battle. Hinata reluctantly made her way there as well, very scared and surprised. She was not expecting to fight her own cousin. On the other hand, Neji was hoping for it.

"Finally, a chance to teach the Main House a lesson! Prepare for defeat, cousin!" shouted Neji, rushing towards her when the proctor said fight. The two Hyugas activated their Byakugans and started a battle of Jukens. Blue chakra flared everywhere as they furiously attacked each other's chakra points. Hinata showed an uncharacteristic rage, and Neji was not as stoic as he usually was. Most people expected that from Neji, but not from Hinata. She seemed unusually motivated.

'_I can't let my team down,_' she told herself, '_everyone's watching. Naruto is counting on me. And Sasuke-kun..._' Hinata felt much more determined knowing that Sasuke was watching. She wanted to prove herself to everyone, but she felt she owed it to Sasuke especially. He was the only person who showed any interest in her well-being. She started fighting back extra-hard. It didn't take long for her to over-power Neji. She was taking control. She hit one tenketsu, then another. Neji was soon on his knees, with Hinata smiling widely to the astonished public. Neji was so mad. He couldn't control himself. When Hinata went for another attack, he focused his chakra around him, making it spin. Using his Rotation defense, Hinata was pushed back, just enough for Neji to prepare his ultimate attack.

"Eight Trigrams: 361 Palms!" he yelled, blanketing Hinata's face in fear. His movements were unbeliveably fast. What seemed like one punch was actually six! Neji blocked every single one of Hinata's tenketsu, which definitely wasn't good. Not only could she not use her chakra, or even stand, but because no chakra was flowing, she began to go into cardiac arrest. A few of the Jonin present, Minato included, jumped down to intervene, followed by Sasuke and Naruto. Hayate, the proctor, and another Jonin held Neji down and declared him the winner. Sasuke, Naruto, Minato and Kurenai were franticly by Hinata's side.

"Hinata! Hinata, wake up! You can beat this, come on!" yelled Sasuke. You couldn't see it because his hair was covering his eyes, but tears were forming. In his unchecked emotional state, the Kyubi's chakra leaked out, giving his hands a light, red aura. He put his hands on her shoulders to try to wake her, and unbeknowst to those present, the red chakra seeped into her pores, making its way to her chakra circulatory system and washing away Neji's chakra, bringing balance back to her body as the red chakra harmlessly mixed itself into her chakra. Hinata's eyes opened up slowly, and Sasuke could hear her heart beating normally again. The group let out their held breath as Neji began to look panicked.

'_No_,' he thought, '_how could a runt like her survive my ultimate attack!? Her destiny is to forever remain a weakling! She couldn't have survived! It's impossible!_'

Kurenai picked Hinata up and took her to the infirmary wing of the tower. Sasuke looked down at where she had just been, seeing a pool of her blood instead. He dipped his fist into it and grabbed a handful.

"Neji! I swear to whatever God there is up there, I will avenge my teammate! Hinata's blood will not have been spilled in vain. I have seen your 'ultimate' attack, and believe me, when we fight, I'll have something even better." Sasuke promised. Neji looked a bit shaken up, but he was still his stoic old self. Everyone went back to their spots for the next battle, which was...

"Sasuke Uchiha vs. Shino Aburame!" announced the Hokage. They got into their places.

'_This should be interesting._' thought Sasuke. The Aburames were such a mysterious clan of ninjas. A good start to test his skills. The battle began, and Shino's bugs swarmed on Sasuke. All his fangirls that made it to this round squeaked at seeing Sasuke covered in bugs. But a few seconds later, what everyone thought was Sasuke blew up, eradicating the bugs. Turns out he had used Substitution Jutsu and slapped an explosive note onto the log. Shino hadn't noticed in time. Now behind Shino, Sasuke kicked him high into the air. Appearing behind him, Sasuke kicked Shino back down and sent a fireball flying his way. Shino reluctantly used his bugs to defend himself. Sasuke fell back down, and was attacked by Shino's bugs again, this time paying attention to Shino's chakra flow as he sent the bugs. When you have Sharingan, you always got to pay attention to the enemy. You never know when their technniques could come in handy. He repelled the bugs with a smoke bomb he had been developing in his little lab back home. After watching Rock Lee's battle, he felt he should test his new found speed and strength. Sasuke removed his weights, leaving that same dramatic crater in the ground. He flew past any other defense Shino had and proceeded to punch and kick him beyond the speed that regular eyes could see. Shino flew into the wall, battered and bleeding. While his teammates and sensei began rioting, Hayate announced Sasuke the winner. He went back to his spot near Naruto after picking up his weights.

"Nice work Sasuke! But watch and learn. I'll show you what a real ninja can do." Naruto said, giving Sasuke a high-five. The next match was announced.

"The next battle will be...Kiba Inuzuka vs. Naruto Uzumaki!"


	15. Chapter 14

Hey guys, sorry for taking so long and for writing this chapter kind of short. I needed to get this chapter out quickly after my little hiatus. It's been pretty crazy lately, but I should be updateing more consistently from now on. And now onto the chapter!

...

**Chapter 14**

Naruto jumped down to the ring, mirrored by Kiba. Being the obnoxious kids that they were, Naruto and Kiba of course started bad-mouthing each other. The proctor had to intervene before the battle even began. Once the battle did begin, Kiba and Naruto threw all they had at each other. Naruto's clones had to counter and parry Kiba's powerful attacks, and things started to get out of control when Kiba got his dog involved. All the while, Sasuke was calmly sucking up their abilities. He really loved his new trick. He could have any power he wanted by just observing it, and he didn't steal anyone's powers, only borrowed them. He thought it would be pretty humiliating to be beat by your own technique, especially if he performed it better. Suddenly he felt a sting of pain in his head. Clutching his head, the pain quickly subsided, leaving Sasuke confused as to the source of it. Back in the ring, Kiba looked as if he was going to win, when Naruto summoned up a few more clones. Kiba was then launched into the air and spin-kicked back into the ground by Naruto, shouting, "Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto won that battle. The other battles went on, and Sasuke watched, learning and scheming. Soon enough, the preliminary rounds were over, and the match-ups for the finals next month were announced. Sasuke was paired against Dosu, from the Sound Village. He ran off to the infirmary after the announcement. He needed to help Hinata recover, so that the team could train for the finals...at least, that's the reason he admitted to himself. Sasuke rushed into her room, surprising her little sister and Jonin who were in the room. He was followed by an out of breath Naruto. Sasuke ignored the others, pulling out a syringe with yellow liquid inside. Kurenai tried to stop him, and finally recognizing the others in the room, he explained himself.

"Don't worry, this is a medicinal compound that I've been perfecting for a while. It'll super-boost her metabolism and immune system. If I give her this, she'll be back to tip-top shape in no time." stated Sasuke. Kurenai calmed down, releasing his arm. He injected her in the arm, andalmost immediately more color rushed into her features. She woke up, smiling when she saw all the people surrounding her. The Jonin took out the machines hooked up to her, seeing as she didn't need them anymore. She was going to say something, when suddenly her face paled and she ran into the bathroom. Thankfully, the bathroom walls were soundproof. Everyone looked confused, folloed by extreme annoyance when Sasuke said, "Whoops."

"What do you mean, 'whoops'?" questioned Kurenai. Sasuke rubbed his head sheepishly.

"I kind of forgot about the side effects of this particular compound. I swear I've been working hard to fix them. This concoction causes mild kidney pains, extreme relaxation of the bladder and sphincter, and blue liquid discharge."

"Dis...charge?" asked Kurenai tentatively. Sasuke seemed to blush a tad bit.

"Yeah, it's just the waste part of the compound making its way out of the body. I know where it comes out from for men, but I'm not sure about-" Sasuke was cut off by Hinata screaming, "AHH!! BLUE STUFF JUST CAME OUT OF ME!!" That girl's got some serious lung power. Everyone looked at Sasuke unanimously, as they tried to calm her down through the bathroom door. Eventually, her symptoms went away, and everyone went back to their regular activities. Team 7 stayed in Hinata's room to figure out what they were going to do. Hinata didn't really have to do anything, so it was really more about where to send Sasuke and Naruto. Minato decided that he should train Naruto, sice he couldn't really train Sasuke at the moment, because Sasuke needed someone to teach him how to use his Sharingan. But Minato had just the former pupil for the job.

"Sasuke, go to the Memorial Stone at around 5:00 today. You'll find my former student, Kakashi. Tell him I sent you for training."commanded Minato. Team 7's jaws dropped.

"Former student!? You said we were the first to pass your test!"yelled Team 7 unanimously. Mianto smiled genuinely.

"I lied." he stated, dragging Naruto off for training. Sasuke and Hinata stood there dumbfounded. Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall and realised that it was almost 5 o' clock.

"Come on Hinata. Let's go find out who this guy is." said Sasuke, pulling Hinata out the door with him. They arrived at the Memorial at the same time as another Konoha ninja. He had gravity-defying, silver hair, and wore a mask that covered his mouth and nose. His left eye was concealed behind his headband. Sasuke and Hinata approached him.

"Sensei told me you'd be here. Great, more brats to tutor..."


	16. Author's Note

Hey everybody, wow it's been a really long time since last time I was on this site! I'm deeply sorry to all of you who really got into this story and didn't get to see it finish. School started up again and I became incredibly busy with all the stuff I was doing so I dropped the story. Truth is I was feeling unsatisfied with what I'd written for a while, and if it weren't for STEVEO 352's continued apathetic contributions to my reviews I probably would have stopped at chapter 6.

Lol jk all of you kept me going and if you really do love this story then stay on the lookout for any updates from me in the near future because I'm planning on writing a new story. I really don't think I did Naruto justice in this story, so this time It's going to be about Naruto. My plans for the new story are to basically start off like this one did, you know following the same basic plotline of the manga, but change up the manga's take on it a little to better fit what I think Naruto should be like. I'm going to try to keep the spirit of Naruto's reckless obnoxiousness, while also making him more focused and intelligent, which is going to be a little difficult X( but w/e I'll see what I can do. Hinata's still going to be my leading lady, seeing as how I just can't imagine putting up with any of the other kunoichis after seeing Hinata's adorableness XD

P.S. In case you guys were wondering why I feel unsatisfied with my story, well aside from the fact that by merging Naruto and Sasuke into 1 character I pretty much threw away any semblance of an awesome rivalry/plot following the Chunin Exams arc, it's because I just don't feel like I portrayed any of the characters with enough conviction. I wrote them all very similarly, which I'm a little ashamed of, plus I wasn't really digging the whole chemistry aspect that I threw in. But who knows I might rework that aspect in the future.

P.P.S. Just to let you guys know, I used to be appalled by SasuHina, and couldn't understand how they could be paired up, but then I read a fanfic that caused me to only be able to fathom SasuHina for a while. Yes its that good. Its called Duty, written by Monkeylady. Google it, its awesome, though very M rated if you know what I mean ;) lol. Other fanfics I'd highly recommend include Idiotic Reasons (I forget the author, but its on so just search it. Its a NaruIno and really frickin' funny) and this one other fanfic that I found on this website, I can't remember what it was called but It was about how Naruto and Sasuke's fight at the Valley of the End was pretty much a draw instead and Naruto's psyche like fractured or something, plus NO ONE cared about him aside from Tsunade, Shikamaru and I believe Hinata but I'm not sure. They get Ino to infiltrate his mind to repair it, and Sasuke ends up getting executed by lethal injection. If anyone knows what story I'm talking about PLEASE message me the Title and Author. Some of the memories Ino finds are so depressing I wanted to cry, which I liked because I'm into that kind of drama in a story


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